I was mauled by bear during horror holiday attack – my M&S jacket saved my arm | H461HYB | 2024-04-24 06:08:01
A SCOTS pensioner who was mauled by a bear as she was taking a selfie of the beast has told how her M&S padded jacket saved her arm.
We told earlier how a woman, 72, is recovering after being bitten by the hulking creature after the motor she was in pulled over on a remote country road in Romania.
Last night the victim was named as Moira Gallacher, 72, from West Lothian.
She put her arm's survival down to the fact she was wearing a "thick, padded Marks and Spencer's jacket".
Ms Gallacher arrived in Bucharest on Sunday with her friend Charmian Widdowson, who previously lived and worked in Romania.
On Monday, the pair travelled north west into the Carpathian Mountains near Vidraru Dam when they came face to face with two bears.
Ms Widdowson said: "We saw these bears – a mummy bear, and a baby – they were gorgeous.
"But they weren't gorgeous.
"The mummy bear was hungry, and thought my friend was going to be lunch.
"She was wearing a thick Marks and Spencer jacket and the poor bear got more jacket than arm."
Ms Gallacher is still recovering in hospital but expects to be discharged on Wednesday.
She told STV News: "I'm a very lucky woman.
<!-- End of Brightcove Player --> "I was wearing a padded jacket and a top and another top – that's what saved my arm. I've been very, very lucky.
"The shock has set in today, but everything's ok now."
It's understood she wanted to take a snap with the not-so-cuddly brutes which are a common sight in the remote region.
But as she did so one of the creatures stood on its hind legs and sank its powerful jaws into her right arm as it poked out the vehicle's open window.
It's understood the driver of the motor realised the danger and sped off before the photo shy monster could do further damage.
The terrifying ordeal happened on the Transfăgărășan mountain road in Argeş County, Romania, on Monday.
The OAP was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment after the attack as she told the local media: "I come from Scotland."
Local reports claimed she was asked: "Your arm is okay?"
To which the lucky escape tourist replied: "No, it's sore."
She added: "We were in the car and we were going to take a picture.
"And the bears came up to the window."
In her hospital bed, she said: "I just wanted to take a picture of him."
Doctors have since confirmed that the woman's injuries are not life-threatening.
Local cops organised themselves into several teams to drive the bears away from the area.
They also advised residents and tourists to always keep a safe distance if encountering animals in the wild.
The attack comes amid ongoing fears about wild bears coming increasingly into close contact with people in Romania and other nations where the creatures are still at large.
Last month a brown bear was shot dead in nearby Slovakia after it injured five people in the northern town of Liptovsky Mikunas.
A video of the raging animals charging through the streets on March 17 went viral as local authorities declared a state of emergency.
The bear left a 49-year-old woman and a 72-year-old man needing hospital treatment.
And a 31-year woman from Belarus died on March 15 after she was chased by a bear in the north of Slovakia, officials said.
The Slovak Mountain Rescue Service said the woman's body had been recovered from the forest in Low Tatras mountains.
Bears are common across the Carpathian mountain range, stretching from Romania through western Ukraine on to Slovakia and Poland.
Slovakian politicians are working with officials in Romania to present a proposal at the next EU Council of environment ministers to reclassify bears on the protected species list.
They will argue their numbers mean they are no longer endangered and can be selectively culled.
More >> https://ift.tt/CT0sfek Source: MAG NEWS